Streaks of Lightning
by SnivyDragon
Summary: Tori lived a normal life with her father. Everything in her world was perfectly boring and uneventful. But all that changed one night when she went to see a certain particle accelerator. Her newfound abilities not only lead her to meet a certain speedster hero, but change the course of her entire life...for better or worse.


**A/N: Hello! Thanks for being curious enough to read this! Enjoy!**

 **(DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from The Flash TV show, or any Arrowverse character. I merely own the ones I create.)**

 **...Seriously, though, wouldn't it be cool if I owned this show?**

* * *

It's official. Headaches are my number one enemy.

As I walked home from yet another boring and uneventful day of school, the cursed feeling was growing stronger inside my head instead of remaining subtle like it had during class. Not only did it hurt like a needle, it annoyed me to no end. I hoped my Dad had grabbed some headache pills at the store today, if he even went. He could've been too busy with work.

I felt like there should be more to my life. Then I remembered that I'm just an ordinary teenager and that life can't get much more eventful than this.

Though tonight definitely called for excitement. Tonight, the famous S.T.A.R. Labs was launching it's brand new particle accelerator. A scientific achievement nobody else even dreamed of or thought possible with the technology we have now. I've been wanting to see it ever since I learned of it's construction. Waiting for it to be finished felt like waiting a whole lifetime, but the day was finally here! And since it was now Winter Break, I could enjoy it more.

So, my Dad promised me he'd take me to the opening. The thing was, it was over in Central City. Even though the drive from Keystone to Central City wasn't long, we were gonna have to leave pretty soon if we wanted to make it there before nightfall.

Knowing this, I felt my pace increase, and soon I arrived at my apartment building. I hurried through the lobby and up the stairs to the apartment I lived in with Dad.

When I came in, he was sitting in front of the TV with the remote in one hand and a soda in the other. He'd dressed casual, but a bit formal as well. As I closed the door behind me he looked up and smiled at me.

"Hey, honey," he greeted warmly. "How was school?"

"Boring," I stated, setting my backpack down beside the door. "All I could think about was the particle accelerator."

He chuckled. "You're that excited, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I am! Don't tell me you've been ignoring all my whining about it these past few months."

"That's what I've been trying to do, yeah."

I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled anyway. Leaving him to his NASCAR race, I headed first for the bathroom to find the Tylenol. My search was successful and after taking a pill, I went to my room and shut the door behind me.

My room was nothing special. It wasn't even that big. It wasn't small, either, just...cozy. I kind of liked how my queen sized bed filled half the room. A green and purple theme flowed throughout it.

I went to my closet and quickly picked out a nice shirt, some jeans, and boots. After re-brushing my long black hair, I grabbed my phone and went back out to the main room. My Dad was already standing by the door, grabbing his coat. He always seemed to sense when I was ready.

He handed me my jacket as I neared and together we walked out the door and to the car. When we hopped in, he decided to annoy me by starting the car at a snail's speed.

"My word," I huffed at him. "If you don't stop I will kick your butt into next Tuesday!"

He abandoned his turtle nature and chuckled. "Just messing with you, baby."

I punched him in the shoulder anyway.

. . .

The sun had completely set over the horizon by the time we saw the Central City skyline lighting up the night. I could barely contain my excitement the whole trip, which seemed super long by my anxious standards. There weren't many things to keep me occupied besides my Dad, who tried to hide the fact that he was bored with my rambling of quantum physics after the first two minutes. I noticed anyway, so I quit talking about it for his sake.

I knew he understood some of it, though. In his spare time he worked hard at his hobby of engineering tech devices with whatever he could get his hands on. Which wasn't much. Still, he managed to make some pretty cool things now and then. He also had a bunch of plans drawn out for stuff he really wanted to make someday. If he could ever get the technology he needed.

My Dad loved to dream like I did. Both day and night. I've been reprimanded for daydreaming in class by my teachers a couple of times.

We were soon driving across the big bridge leading to the city. I could make out the unique S.T.A.R. Labs building among the other shining towers, and my excitement grew more and more.

 _It's just like its picture in the magazine! Wow, I can't believe I'm actually going to it. And I just might see Harrison Wells, too!_

But it would be an absolute dream-come-true if I could actually go inside S.T.A.R. Labs. Yeah, like that'll ever happen...

It felt like a week had passed before my Dad was finally parking outside the circular building. I immediately jumped out of the car and impatiently waited for him to do so as well. Restraining myself from running to where all the people were gathering so we could get a good view, I fast-walked through the parking lot with my Dad following.

We got to the crowd of people standing before a small stage that already had a few people on it along with a glass podium. Luckily, I was tall for a 15-year-old, so I could see above the many heads that dared get in my way.

"So, here we are," my Dad said as he came to stand beside me.

I nodded excitedly. "Yep! I can hardly wait until they turn it on!"

We waited in silence for a few moments, while I took in the few scientists on the stage, until my Dad spoke again. "What's with the stage?"

"Um, Harrison Wells? He's probably going to make a speech? Duh," I replied, with a hint of annoyance.

He smiled down at me. "You really admire the guy, huh?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "What? Well, I wouldn't say _admire_. More like, respect."

"Respect?" Dad was the one to raise an eyebrow this time. "You really wanna meet him, don't you?"

At first, I was going to deny it. But my Dad knows me better than anyone, and can sometimes read me like an open book. Sometimes.

I sighed and yielded. "Fine, of course I wanna meet him! But he's too busy and popular to find the time to meet a 'kid' like me. Even though I'm not a kid anymore."

"You're still a little kid to me."

"And you're still such a dingus."

Just then, everyone started applauding and I then noticed Harrison Wells himself walking onto the stage. I smiled and shushed my Dad, who just rolled his eyes but smiled too.

Wells gave a reserved smile and waved to the crowd. He gave no heed to the protesters on our left being held back by a metal barricade. I didn't even know why they bothered; Wells had made it perfectly clear that the particle accelerator was completely safe.

Once the crowd grew silent, he spoke.

"Thank you," he said as he waved for silence. "My name is Harrison Wells, and tonight, the future begins." A small smile grew on his face. "The work my team and I will do here will change our understanding of physics, we'll bring about advancements in power, advancements in medicine, and trust me; that future will be here faster than you think."

I smiled and applauded with the rest of the crowd. _Wells really wants to change the world for the better. It's one of the many reasons I respect him so much!_

He began talking more, and I half listened as I thought about all that this new scientific knowledge could accomplish. That is, until this shady guy shoved by me, gripping something in his arms.

"Ow!" I exclaimed as he hit me. He didn't even stop to say sorry. Then another guy came, friendlier-looking and obviously in pursuit of the other man, and apologized to anyone he hit.

"Dad," I said, following the two men with my eyes. "I think that guy stole whatever he was holding. Should we do something?"

He followed my gaze and shook his head. "That other one looks like he has it under control. He's pretty fast, actually."

"But what if he gets hurt?"

"Don't worry, Tori. Something tells me he can handle it," he reassured me.

I turned back around. Maybe he was right. But it just aggravated me when I saw criminals get away with things like this, and I could do nothing to stop them. Well, nothing that wouldn't get me killed, at least.

By now, Wells had gone back inside to start his brand new particle accelerator. The countdown began, and when we reached zero we all cheered. We could barely hear it turn on, it was just a faint whir, but it excited us all the same.

Wells really was a brilliant man. He was able to make something this advanced that seemed impossible at this point in history. It was kind of funny, if you really thought about it.

Refreshments were served soon after, surprisingly, and my Dad and I decided to stay for a while longer before heading back to Keystone. We mainly talked with each other, I tried to explain the particle accelerator to him again, but we also conversed with a few other people. The ones we met seemed surprised at my knowledge of physics.

We stayed for about forty five minutes. My Dad and I were now talking about him working at S.T.A.R. Labs.

"You could be a really great tech person!" I told him. "And it'd certainly pay more than that desk job you have now."

"That's true," he admitted, "but S.T.A.R. Labs doesn't accept just anyone with a knack for engineering. You even said so yourself!"

"I think you could really do it, though! Can't have too many scientists, right?"

He sighed. "But we'd have to move. We'd have to buy a new apartment and everything, and go through all this hassle. Plus, we'd be leaving Keystone and everyone we know. Are you sure you'd be willing to do that?"

I smiled. "First of all, Dad, we don't know very many people. And second, yeah, I'd be willing to move here! Central City seems nicer than Keystone anyway, and when I'm older I could work at S.T.A.R., too. Well, heavy on the 'maybe.' Don't wanna get my hopes up."

He frowned. "But...what about-"

"Mom?" I finished for him.

We were both silent for a few seconds. Then I spoke up again.

"True, I'd miss being able to visit her grave whenever I want, and it would be hard to move out of the home I have all my memories of her in. But that's just it: I can take memories with me. And Mom will always be with us, wherever we go, Dad."

He smiled. I hugged him, and he hugged me back.

Suddenly, people started screaming. We broke out of our hug and looked around, confused.

"Everyone, evacuate the area!" a security guard shouted from near the lab. "The particle accelerator has become unstable! You must evacuate the area to ensure your safety!"

I exchanged horrified looks with my Dad. Then, we both ran from the site as fast as our legs could carry us. We couldn't get to the car, so the two of us just kept running. When our bodies made us stop, we were at the side of a brick building. I hunched over with my hands on my knees while my Dad leaned against a wide steel pipe that ran up to the top of the building.

When I finally caught my breath, I was bewildered. "How...could it be...unstable?" I asked in between breaths.

"I don't know," Dad answered. "I thought that Wells guy said it was completely safe!"

I looked up at him. "Me, too."

Just as I drew myself back to my full height, a loud _boom_ sounded around us. Looking back at S.T.A.R. Labs, I was horrified to see an explosion of bright light rise up from its center, creating a wave of energy that spread through the air. It passed where we were like a breeze.

"Oh my God," Dad gasped. He rarely used the phrase, so you could tell he was as shocked as I was right now.

While he continued to look at the exploding lab, my gaze traveled upwards. Some sort of storm seemed to be forming right above the area we were. My eye caught streaks of lightning dancing inside the clouds at a close proximity. They had a purplish tint to them. We were probably safe from it, but-

I turned to my Dad...still leaning against the huge pipe. The _metal_ pipe.

I saw the lightning beginning to form and understood. "Dad, move!" I cried out to him.

He tore his gaze from the explosion and looked at me confused, but didn't move.

I knew the strike was coming. "Look out!" Not knowing what else to do, I lurched forward and pushed him off and out of the way of the pipe.

Just as the lightning struck.

I didn't have time to move as it hit me, sending pain throughout my body and making me fly backward. My body hit the ground, and I struggled to stay awake.

The last thing I heard was my Dad yelling my name as the darkness took over.

* * *

 **So, was it good? Bad? Eh?**

 **Let me know if I should continue this! I have TONS of ideas!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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